The Week Ahead: The Week of July 9

Back comes Congress, all paraded out, for a month of work before the August recess (set to start Aug. 6). August weather has already settled upon D.C., unfortunately.

The Senate convenes at 2 p.m. today and quickly goes into H.R. 1585, the $649 billion DOD authorization bill. A summary of the expected debate: Iraq, Iraq, Iraq. The House returns Tuesday at 2 p.m., with a legislative potpourri, including drug safety procedures and foreign investment.

On Wednesday, a subcommittee of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee holds a hearing on the EPA’s proposed new ozone standards. Dirksen 406 at 10 a.m. The NAM’s statement and background on the jobs-killing proposal is available here.

And it’s a busy week for the House Appropriations Committee, which is marking up Transportation-HUD and Labor/HHS bills on Wednesday. On Thursday, Commerce-Justice-Science measure and Energy and Water are on tap.

President Bush will pay attention to manufacturers’ priorities on Tuesday when he travels to Cleveland for events on energy, health care and technology’s role in both.

Otherwise, President Bush heads over to the Hyatt Regency Crystal City this morning for the opening of the White House Conference on the Americas, which brings together organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and foundations to discuss “societal interaction.” (What is that? Talking? Having meetings?) On Wednesday, the President attends the most important event in the history of the world (as seen by some), the ribbon-cutting on the remodeled White House press room. (James S. Brady press room, to be precise.)

At the NAM, we’re hosting a panel discussion this afternoon on the portrayal of U.S. health care in “Sicko,” starting at 4 p.m. More details here.

Elsewhere around the country, the big political news is whether Pennsylvania’s state government remains partially shut down due to a budget disagreement between Gov. Ed Rendell and Republican legislators. But the casinos are open! The state webpage has updates. In Florida, Gov. Crist is holding a summit on global climate change. Keynoters are California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Theodore Roosevelt IV. (A Florida summit? Glad you asked. It’s Britton Hill, 345 feet above sea level.)

The House schedule for the week is here, and the schedule of the Senate’s committee hearings for the week is here.

And we’ll see you Friday down on Pennsylvania Avenue, celebrating Bastille Day a day early with the annual Waiters’ Race, a celebration of equilibrium. Vite! Vite!